New Legislation aims to stop the Criminalization of people living with HIV. The law would provide states with incentives and support to reform outdated criminal laws that target people living with HIV.
HIV Plus Magazine has the report:
A new bill was introduced to Congress Thursday that would end extensive punishment for people who transmit HIV to others. Rep. Barbara Lee’s Repeal HIV Discrimination Act would require all laws and policies about the criminal prosecution for people with HIV.
In Ohio, for example, it is unlawful for an HIVer to engage in sexual acts before disclosing their HIV status to a sexual partner.
“This bill gives a lot of people hope,” Tracy Johnson, 23, told Housing Works. “These laws have made me feel like I’m a criminal because I have this illness. Even if I disclose, I know I can still be arrested if my partner gets mad at me and tells the police I didn’t do so.”
Currently, 34 states have laws that criminalize exposure to HIV and non-disclosure of HIV with sexual partners, according to the Positive Justice Project. People found guilty of violating such laws can face up to 30 years in prison, and some states require violators to register as sex offenders.
Read the full report via HIV PLUS MAGAZINE
